BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Rumour Has It: Rumour Adoption in Conflict-Affected Areas - Profes
 sor Kelly Greenhill (Tufts/ Harvard) and Dr. Ben Oppenheim (Stanford/NYU)
DTSTART:20150519T160000Z
DTEND:20150519T180000Z
UID:TALK58710@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Susan Gowans
DESCRIPTION:Rumours run rife in conflict areas\, and have played a key rol
 e in igniting episodes of intense violence\, from ethnic riots to genocide
 . Under what conditions are politically salient rumours treated as truth? 
 When will unverified pieces of information be widely adopted\, and when wi
 ll they be dismissed as false? This paper presents a new theoretical frame
 work\, as well as the first empirical analysis of these questions\, using 
 original survey data gathered in insurgency-affected areas of Southern Tha
 iland and the Philippines. \n\nWe find wide variation in rumour adoption a
 cross the conflict areas\, and argue that variation is driven by the rumou
 r’s fit within the receiver’s worldview\, and its connection to the re
 ceiver’s threat perception. Consistent with psychological research\, we 
 find strong evidence that patterns of repeated exposure greatly increase r
 umour acceptance. Contrary to conventional wisdom\, we find no evidence th
 at education\, income\, or gender determine individual receptivity to rumo
 urs.\n\nThe broader implications and further applications of our theory an
 d findings to Eastern Europe\, North Africa and southern Europe and South 
 Asia will also be discussed.
LOCATION: Room SG1\, Alison Richard Building\, 7 West Road\, Cambridge\, C
 B3 9DT
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR